Posts by danielle860

I think it sounds like a good plan.  If you're interested in bodyweight exercises, consider using the assisted pull-up/dip machine.  I know it's a machine, but the only weight you lift is your own (or a fraction of it).  You might like it - it's really empowering to work up do doing your own pull ups.

I wouldn't normally recommend it, but it sounds like your focus is on running and not weight loss, so I will.  You might want to give yoga a try.  It's not for everyone and it's not a major calorie burner, but I find that it's a good way to get a stretch in that I might not otherwise have done.  And if you take a few Pilates classes, you'll probably get some ideas for good core exercises you can add to your routine.

I would like to punch the author of the TIME article - he was no researcher, just an irresponsible writer.  This is exactly what I feared people would take for it.  The last thing America needed was another excuse not to exercise.

P.S.  The study he references was not a weight loss study, and used 45-75 year old postmenopausal women (a group not known for easy weight loss).  The study itself said it was only useful for that specific group of people.  Furthermore, ALL participants in that group (whether or not they lost weight) reduced their waist circumference.  This is a really great benefit of exercise that wasn't even mentioned in the article, as there are increased health risks with excess abdominal fat. 

I know we're all obsessed with losing weight around here, but it's really important to consider your long term health through proper nutrition and activity. 

do you do hill repeats?  try those.

hey all you short people - height and run speed are not necessarily related.  No more of this "I'm short so I'm slow" stuff!

Original Post by caverlady:

 The problem that I had with "Supersize Me" was that he ate nothing but the McDonald's food three meals a day for a month. 

 I wasn't referring to the movie in it's entirety, but the portion where they discuss the nutritional value of McDonald's food and how it is specifically deficient.  I think it's one of the scenes with the doctor. 

The nutritional deficiencies are only going to be worse if you decide to only eat 1 meal from McDonald's per day rather than Morgan Spurlock's three.  Sure, that guy was eating like 4000 calories a day, so to be nutritionally void even after all those calories presents a serious issue. 

if you watch Supersize Me they go into the nutritional issues with eating the way you describe.  Sure, 1 day a month of that isn't going to be so bad, but you wouldn't want to make a lifestyle of it.

I think the combination of bike commuting and weight training sounds perfect, although I think 4x per week sounds better than 5, but that's just me.  Bike commuting is a good way to travel, and it's hard to overdo it if you don't want to go into Whole Foods being a sweaty mess.

Since you mentioned a problem with not eating back calories, what about setting a rule where you drink a substantial post-lifting protein shake, and then don't log those calories?  Pretend they don't even exist, and then just stick with your 1500-1800 normal daily intake.  Trust that the shake is doing it's job of refueling your muscles and leave it at that.

P.S. if your ideal is a fit, compact, no bulges but soft all-around body you should X - eat better, Y - eat better, and Z- trade some cardio for 2-3x per week of a more intense weighlifting program.

You could also get results if you substitute other things for Z, but X and Y should be done.  Especially if you're not 20 years old any more.

if your goal is just to lose weight, then yeah this is going to be better than nothing.  activity is activity. 

I was injured in a car accident over the winter and I had to really cut down on my activity for about 3 months.  I could do things for about 10 minutes before experiencing pain.  The heavy lifting was out of the question, so I did something like you do with pushups, core work, and squats/lunges.  I'd also get on the treadmill for an hour and do a mix of running and walking.  It didn't get me into killer shape obviously, but I didn't gain any weight either and it did prep me for my return to heavier training. 

My point... if it's all you've got time for and it's working with your other daily commitments, then stick with it.  I do think it would be worth it to maximize your time a little better at the YMCA however.  Your weightlifing books will probably give you some good 2x per week options to try.

Original Post by floggingsully:

Pretty much the same one you have now. 

+ 1 (this was a good answer.  the poster didn't ask for a routine, why would anyone give her one?)

this is exactly why i take measurements.  i just read yesterday that women tend to lose weight in their arms and abdomen first, and i noticed this to be true for myself as well.  I'm down 1.5 inches from the lower abdomen, which doesn't help much in teh pants fitting department because my pants were always huge in the waist to begin with.

Original Post by bmfan77:

You could eat at McDonald's morning, noon and night and lose weight. eating healthy isn't about losing weight, it's about your health...

 This is EXACTLY what I was thinking as I went through this post.  The main issue with restricting calories is that it makes it hard to meet your nutritional RDA's, so the quality of your food does become more important.  Someone on a 1500 calorie diet who eats 500 calories of junk is going to be missing out on nutrients no matter what, yet we celebrate our weight loss over nutritional quality.  SO yeah, it is kind of necessary by default if your goal isn't just to lose weight. 

Besides, there are other benefits to choosing something like 200 calories of veggies and nuts over 200 calories of Doritos.  Benefits that contribute to successful weight loss - because those veggies and nuts are going to keep you fuller than the Doritos will. 

However, it's really about what you can handle for the long term.  Eating super healthy one week and failing miserably the next obviously doesn't work in the long term.  Making small changes and reassessing as you go is really important for this process.  Setting a goal like 90% is a great start... so if you have 1500 calories for the day, set aside 10% of those for your "whatever" calories.

No one goes out and runs a marathon without running a single step.  They train themselves to be able to handle the distance.  Eating more healthfully is the same process. 

sounds like you're on the right track!  Good luck!

Original Post by hcannon23:

I think the only way someone could honestly eat healthy faithfully every day if they don't have the taste for sugar or salt they way most people do.  

 You'd be surprised how your sugar cravings decrease after you cut added sugar/artificial sweeteners out of your diet for a few weeks.  It's incredibly hard to do, considering there's even aspartame in your Fiber One, but it's possible. 

Linda, your weight and bf% sound perfect to me.  I agree with jonnypenso, and would like to add that you need to make sure you are eating enough to fuel the muscle growth you need to get the abs and toned look.

I'm not sure why your trainer would be telling you that you need to be doing something so specific, but it sounds like you have gotten good results so far so you might want to continue if you like your trainer.  But this is something you can definitely do on your own too.